Appropriate Dress For Women

[JKirkLVNV]

I also recall reading, years ago, an answer to a *dubium *sent to the Holy See asking if head coverings were required and the response said it was a matter cutural custom, not an essential. I cannot, however, find it.

That’s something that those who are troubled about whether it is requied or not can do: write the Holy See and ask. You would want, I should think, either the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Holy Sacraments (HE Antonio Cardinal Llovera, Prefect) OR the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (HE William Cardinal Levada, Prefect).

 

[lil_flower_luv]

Say yes to the dress.

Oh, you!!

Also, a note to the OP: Earlier this evening things were a bit hectic for me, so I am sorry if my first post sounded at all insensitive or rude. I don’t know about anybody else, but I got that feeling when I came back and read it again. I don’t want to come off that way.:winter: Anyway, I’ve mentioned many times in many modesty threads how I feel about appropriate women’s attire through researching how the Church has approached it. You and I are close in our way of thinking, OP; there isn’t much else I can add to your thread. Blessings to you and yours.

 

[roselily]

:hug1:-Your are kind, ThereseOfRoses.

O ThereseOfRoses, -Heaven sending roses!

 

[roselily]

There we go, our answer!

Oh, you!!

Also, a note to the OP: Earlier this evening things were a bit hectic for me, so I am sorry if my first post sounded at all insensitive or rude. I don’t know about anybody else, but I got that feeling when I came back and read it again. I don’t want to come off that way.:winter: Anyway, I’ve mentioned many times in many modesty threads how I feel about appropriate women’s attire through researching how the Church has approached it. You and I are close in our way of thinking, OP; there isn’t much else I can add to your thread. Blessings to you and yours.

-

Your post is very good, as well as others also

The whole thread is lovely,

The whole thread seems it is lovely!

 

[Monica4316]

I would like to wear skirts more often, but I can’t seem to find any modest ones… they’re all really short. I’m in my early 20s… I often wear pants with tunics or long shirts cause they cover more. I solved the neckline problem by layering, but I’m not sure where to find good skirts!

 

[Ashurie]

I would like to wear skirts more often, but I can’t seem to find any modest ones… they’re all really short. I’m in my early 20s… I often wear pants with tunics or long shirts cause they cover more. I solved the neckline problem by layering, but I’m not sure where to find good skirts!

I know that feeling! It is so hard to find to wear something nice too, and fashionable for our age.

 

[spunjalebi]

Sometimes you have to venture into the Misses’ department or even Petites. Ditch Juniors, like I did Most of what they tend to style is awful anyway. Have you tried Maurices? They tend to gear toward business style with young women.

 

[HAnne]

Sometimes you have to venture into the Misses’ department or even Petites. Ditch Juniors, like I did Most of what they tend to style is awful anyway. Have you tried Maurices? They tend to gear toward business style with young women.

Absolutely! Also, if you have them in your area Coldwater Creek and Christopher and Banks tend to have more conservative items. I like to mix and match their longer skirts and conservatively cut blazers with other items to make them look “younger”. Stay away from the embroidered sweaters…lol

 

[agent_grey]

simple question. And you know the answer.

If your dress might cause the eye of a man putting forth an effort to shift from God to you then you have some changes to make.

 

[agent_grey]

Damn thats sexy. When I see a woman veiled in church I don’t bat an eye. but when I see a Catholic woman in public dressed as such… Oh ya!

 

[agent_grey]

I would be like… my name is *&^%@$ care to join me for an ice cream.

 

[Dymphna82]

Covering women up wouldn’t stop sexual desire. It’s been shown historically that women in hijabs have been beaten to death for showing as much as a wrist or ankle, so it can be assumed that even that much can spark desire in the visually deprived. And when a face is covered, it’s easy to look into the eyes of someone, and the eyes can say a lot.

And while artists like Michelangelo, Raphael and Poussin considered the feminine form a thing of beauty, the only models they were able to use at the time where men posing as women, their lovers or prostitutes. Modeling nude was just not something decent people used to do.

I think it’s unfair to assume anything of anyone for asking simple questions. I once asked why would more Muslims move to NYC after 9/11 when there is so much tension towards them from that tragedy. It was reworded to sound like I had an issue with the fact they were there. It doesn’t come from me having an issue. It comes from my own perspective that if a particular part of the world might have an issue with me, I would wish to move somewhere that I know I will have a happy life. Afterall, we should all strive towards happiness.

The internet seems to be where people judge others based on what they say and not who they are. But I guess what we say is all we really have.

I had no idea that veils were still common in Catholicism. I’m finding this all interesting and educational. No matter what I’ve believed in my life, I have always found modest clothing to be the most comfortable and would not object to the idea of wearing a veil perhaps in the future.

 

[CradleCath]

Before you get the Catholics who say women should wear a long burlap bag with a head covering and scarf, and/or

the Catholics who say it’s fine to walk around in a bikini and demand respect, I’m just going to jump in and say you don’t need to go to either of these extremes to be valued as a woman of Christ. You can be stylish and modest…in other words, there’s a nice place in the middle you can arrive to. Your body is a temple and it should reflect the beauty at your core. I hope you understand what I mean - please private message me if you don’t. I’d rather bow out of this thread (and other modesty threads) since it can get pretty uncharitable. Be prepared.

And so it begins…Thank you so much for the part that I emboldened. I DO love pretty clothes, always have. AND, please don’t throw any rotten tomatoes at your screen, but I find skirts to be more becoming on women. This does not mean that I never wear pants, because I do…jeans & slacks both. However, to Mass I always wear a skirt. (I love the A-line, calf-length skirts worn with leather boots & it’s fitting for me. I’m 68 yrs. old.)

My question is, I’ve heard many women say that they ALWAYS wear pants…that they are more comfortable. I don’t find that to be true, so maybe someone can tell me just WHY they find them more comfortable???

 

[CradleCath]

Please do not start it here.

 

[CradleCath]

Absolutely! Also, if you have them in your area Coldwater Creek and Christopher and Banks tend to have more conservative items. I like to mix and match their longer skirts and conservatively cut blazers with other items to make them look “younger”. Stay away from the embroidered sweaters…lol

Coldwater Creek is one of my FAVORITES. It’s a place where both my daughter & myself can find something fitting for our ages & modest enough for our convictions. I do love their jackets & blazers. My daughter finds a lot of young “business wear” there, which is both feminine & professional. (Thier jewelry is to die for.) Whoops! I’m coming across as being vain…which I have worried about before. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that, since our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…we should try to be as attractive as possible. (BTW. I don’t need to have LOTS of clothes & I don’t think others do. What I try to do is stay within a certain color range, so that I can mix & match.)

 

[HAnne]

Coldwater Creek is one of my FAVORITES. It’s a place where both my daughter & myself can find something fitting for our ages & modest enough for our convictions. I do love their jackets & blazers. My daughter finds a lot of young “business wear” there, which is both feminine & professional. (Thier jewelry is to die for.) Whoops! I’m coming across as being vain…which I have worried about before. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that, since our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…we should try to be as attractive as possible. (BTW. I don’t need to have LOTS of clothes & I don’t think others do. What I try to do is stay within a certain color range, so that I can mix & match.)

I think wanting to dress well is not vanity. As with ALL things, middle of the road is good. I have no desire to wear a burlap sack nor a mini skirt. 'Nough said.

I have TONS of clothes - unfortunately most of them are not appropriate anymore and I am in a season of cleansing out my closet. Part of me wants to pass them on to others in need…the other part wonders if I should pass on items that are not really appropriate for wear…but I digress.

My current streak of “vanity” is in trying to find a dress for my Convalidation and Confirmation which will also occur over my son’s First Communion and Confirmation…hunting…hunting…

 

[Ashurie]

I attended Sunday Mass for the first time this morning, I wore my good jeans and a nice top…and thankfully was not under-dressed. Majority of the people there wore nice pants, some jeans and a lovely shirt/top whatever. LOL

However, there was a small band of people, who were friends and family of a couple whose baby was going to be christened after Mass. A Mother came in with her three daughters (I am assume they aren’t Catholic), and the girls, were at least my age (early 20s), and looked like they were going out clubbing on a Saturday night! One of them, wore a shirt so short, that is was only a few inches under her bottom, this one and another wore tight dresses. The third however, was smarter and covered up and wore a longer dress.

But what got me, was the LOOKS the mid-aged parishioners gave them - the 4 sat in front of me, and the looks they got from across the aisle were horrible. It was the look up and down, then the ladies chatted amongst themselves.

I mean sure, what they wore is not church outfits, but the looks and the gossiping was not on in my books. They were polite through out the Mass, unlike some elderly Italians around me who keep talking through out the Mass…

sigh

 

[HAnne]

I attended Sunday Mass for the first time this morning, I wore my good jeans and a nice top…and thankfully was not under-dressed. Majority of the people there wore nice pants, some jeans and a lovely shirt/top whatever. LOL

However, there was a small band of people, who were friends and family of a couple whose baby was going to be christened after Mass. A Mother came in with her three daughters (I am assume they aren’t Catholic), and the girls, were at least my age (early 20s), and looked like they were going out clubbing on a Saturday night! One of them, wore a shirt so short, that is was only a few inches under her bottom, this one and another wore tight dresses. The third however, was smarter and covered up and wore a longer dress.

But what got me, was the LOOKS the mid-aged parishioners gave them - the 4 sat in front of me, and the looks they got from across the aisle were horrible. It was the look up and down, then the ladies chatted amongst themselves.

I mean sure, what they wore is not church outfits, but the looks and the gossiping was not on in my books. They were polite through out the Mass, unlike some elderly Italians around me who keep talking through out the Mass…

sigh

I have to admit that when I see people attend a church of ANY kind dressed like that, it causes a brief moment of shock. It’s not intentional, it’s just sheer shock that they would arrive in a house of God dressed like that. Then I avert my eyes, pray my 7 year old son didn’t see up the super-tight mini when she genuflected, and move on.

But moving forward, yes, jeans are the “norm” in most parishes. I generally try not to wear them but look “over dressed” when compared to everyone else. For me it’s more that I only have 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of dress pants, and the rest is dresses and skirts.

Glad your first experience was a good one - minus the gossiping Italians…hey - what can I say - it’s part of our culture…lol

 

[Ashurie]

I have to admit that when I see people attend a church of ANY kind dressed like that, it causes a brief moment of shock. It’s not intentional, it’s just sheer shock that they would arrive in a house of God dressed like that. Then I avert my eyes, pray my 7 year old son didn’t see up the super-tight mini when she genuflected, and move on.

But moving forward, yes, jeans are the “norm” in most parishes. I generally try not to wear them but look “over dressed” when compared to everyone else. For me it’s more that I only have 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of dress pants, and the rest is dresses and skirts.

Glad your first experience was a good one - minus the gossiping Italians…hey - what can I say - it’s part of our culture…lol

Yeah, it was a bit of a shock, and I did think “my goodness, what if she has to kneel”, they didn’t though, nor genuflect. That’s what also gave away to me, that they weren’t Catholic.

Yeah, I don’t have any skirts ^^;; I love the long floor length ones, but it is SO hard to find them!

 

[HAnne]

Yeah, I don’t have any skirts ^^;; I love the long floor length ones, but it is SO hard to find them!

I sew many of mine. That said, keep an eye out in the spring. If the wonderful fashion geniuses behind peasant skirts are back, you may be able to pick some up easily. Those are usually at least mid-calf in length and have the additional bonus of being light and breezy for summer wear. I find them more comfortable than pants when it’s horridly hot.

Another GREAT place to look is at resale shops. Some of my FAVORITE pieces come from there! Don’t just look for skirts - also take a peek at the curtains, large tablecloths, and sheets. Often with a few quick stitches those old linens can be quickly transformed into skirts. Two options there - for a long skirt you can use the portion where the fabric is folded over at the top to run a drawstring through. Then just cut to length and size and sew 1 seam and a new hem. You can also avoid the second seam by creating a wraparound skirt using a similar method. Both are SUPER simple.

HTH!